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Santander begins re-branding former Abbey and Bradford & Bingley branches

The Spanish banking giant Santander has begun its re-branding scheme that will see all 1,045 branches of the former Abbey and Bradford & Bingley banks bear the parent name Santander.

Author: Sam Gooch
Date: Jan 13, 2010 - 10:49:48 AM

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The Spanish banking giant Santander has begun its re-branding scheme that will see all 1,045 branches of the former Abbey and Bradford & Bingley banks bear the parent name Santander.

Abbey was bought by the bank in 2004, which went on to buy both the Bradford & Bingley and the Alliance & Leicester in 2008.

The Alliance & Leicester branches are due to be renamed later on in the year.

The change will push the Santander brand up to the fifth largest bank accounts provider in the UK, with 25 million savings account holders and borrowers.

The re-branding process will cost the bank £15m, starting with 300 Abbey and Bradford & Bingley branches in the south-east, followed by the remaining branches later this month.

As well as re-branding the branches themselves, around 9,500 staff have been issued with new uniforms, as well as 971 cash machines being branded with the new name, 27 company internet sites and thousands of separate items of stationary.

Alison Brittain, a Santander executive, said that now was a good time to have a new name on the High Street.

"The Santander brand is untarnished during the credit crisis, it is very strong and secure," she said.

"We operate as a challenger on the UK High Street and, having 1,300 branches, it is going to be great."

One advantage for holidaymakers travelling to Spain is that the bank's UK customers can now also use Santander cash machines in Spain without paying any fees.

View all articles by Sam Gooch

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